Brief Encounter
by CPO Backstreet
Summary: Harry and Hermione alone in a tent together. Again. Sorry.


**It does seem like everyone's doing this story but I wanted to dip my toe into the pool of Harry Potter fiction so here's my version. Hope you enjoy it.**

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><p>Harry walked back into the tent. Hermione was sat at the table, reading. She did a lot of that now, researching Horcruxes and ways to destroy them, or pouring over Dumbledore's last gift in search of clues. It didn't matter. She never found anything. And with Ron gone, it seemed like all they were doing was hiding, a constant life of playing cat and mouse.<p>

"There's nothing out there,"he told her conversationally.

Hermione closed the book she was reading with a sigh. He sat down at the table with her, wondering if he should take her hand, try to comfort her. "We're going to die here, aren't we?"she asked.

Harry looked at her sternly, trying to speak with a certainty he didn't really feel. "No, we're not."

"We are though. Eventually. However long we last out, they'll track us down and kill us." Her voice was very small. "We're seventeen and we're going to die. We're never going to grow up, we're never going to finish school." She gave a regretful sigh. "I'm never going to have a proper boyfriend."

Harry looked at her curiously. It felt strange having the conversation with her in the midst of everything that was happening but it seemed as good a time as any. "Have you ever kissed a boy?"

Hermione gave an awkward smile. "A few times. But I've never gone any further than that."

Harry smiled slightly. Hermione was always so prim and proper, he wasn't sure he'd even heard her allude to something of that matter before. "Neither have I," he admitted.

There was interest in Hermione's expression. "Not even with Ginny?"

Harry shrugged. "There wasn't really time. So, I guess if we do die, we'll both die inexperienced."

Hermione laughed gently. "Unless we…" She broke off, falling silent.

"Unless what?" Harry asked, intrigued.

"Unless we…find someone."

"How?"

Hermione reached out and stroked his face. She gently moved his head towards hers and pressed her lips against his, her touch soft and pleasant.

"Oh,"he said,"Like that."

And then, without another word, they were kissing. They staggered to their feet, hands roaming about each other's bodies, removing each other's sweaters in the gaps between kisses. They stumbled into the partioned area that acted as his bedroom and fell onto the bed, continuing to caress each other passionately.

"Should we talk about this?"he asked.

"I don't feel like talking,"she replied.

Harry considered this for a moment. "Me neither,"he decided at last, as they began removing each other's remaining clothes and clambered beneath the bed sheets.

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><p>When Harry woke the next morning, it was with Hermione asleep in his arms. For a few moments, he felt contentment. Then he remembered where he was. He leapt out of bed, feeling Hermione stir at the movement as he did so, snatching his wand and barrelling out of the tent.<p>

He stood there for a while, in silence, unmoving, listening. Only when he was certain there was no-one nearby did he go back inside.

Hermione was waiting for him just inside the flap, having got out of bed. He shook his head, angry with himself. "We didn't have anyone on watch, we could have been murdered in our beds."

"I think you mean bed,"Hermione pointed out. She gave an awkward shrug. "I guess there are worse ways to go."

Harry looked at her, suddenly realising that he was in the middle of a situation a lot more scary and complicated than an army of Death Eaters searching for them. Hermione had pulled on one of his shirts and buttoned it up but he had a feeling she wasn't wearing anything else under it. He was also suddenly conscious that he was standing in front of her in his underpants.

"We'd better get dressed,"he decided, quickly disappearing into his sleeping area.

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><p>Harry emerged a quarter of an hour later to find Hermione dressed, her backpack on top of the table, partly full. "We should move on,"she told him.<p>

"You left some clothes through there,"he reminded her, nodding towards his sleeping area.

Hermione paused awkwardly. "Good point."

He turned her towards him and kissed her, the sensation pleasant if slightly awkward. She smiled at him, relaxing slightly. They sat down on the table together, hands entwined. "I guess we need to talk,"she commented.

Harry nodded, trying to find a way to articulate what he was feeling. "I don't regret what we did,"he said at last,"But…I don't think I'm in love with you."

Hermione smiled with relief. "I don't think I'm in love with you either,"she admitted,"I mean, I love you but…not like that."

"So, I guess we go back to being friends again?"

She stared into the distance and nodded. "I think it's for the best." Then she turned and looked at him. "I'm glad it was you."

Harry was surprised at the remark. "Wouldn't you rather it was…someone else?"

She shook her head. "I'm glad it was you,"she said firmly. She kissed him on the lips and he responded. The kiss broke and she gave an embarrassed laugh. "We've got to stop doing that." She released his hand and jumped down from the table. "Better get on with that packing."

"Hermione!"he called after her and she stopped and turned to him. "Do you think it's going to be weird between us from now on, now that we've slept together?"

She shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to work really hard to make sure it isn't."

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><p>They packed away the tent and the rest of their things and stood alone on the empty hillside. "Have you thought about what's going to happen if we <em>don't<em> die?"Harry asked at last.

Hermione looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Well…if we live through this and see…certain other people again…what do we tell them?"

Hermione thought for a moment. "Well, I wouldn't just blurt it out next time we see them,"she advised,"I guess if there ever comes a time when we need to tell them, we will."

Harry nodded. He stopped and took one last look around at the place where they'd lost their virginity together. With a start, he realised he had no idea where they were. He probably wouldn't be able to find the place again if he tried.

He turned back to Hermione and held out his hand. With a smile, she grasped it.

They Apparated together.

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><p><strong>After seeing the films, it did seem to me they were suggesting something like that happened...<strong>


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